Society of
General physiologists

In 2005, SGP instituted two new Paul F. Cranefield awards, one each to be given annually to a deserving postdoctoral fellow and a graduate student who are the first authors of manuscripts published in Journal of General Physiology. In truly exceptional cases, undergraduate students will be considered for a third award. Awardees will receive $1000 in addition to being featured on the Society's website.

To be considered for such an award, the candidate must have had a major role in the planning, execution, and analysis of the results - and contributed significantly to the writing. Candidates shall write a one-page summary of the work, emphasizing its overall significance and describing specifically his or her contributions to the research and writing, and email it to admin@sgpweb.org.

2026 Cranefield Postdoc Awardee: Rosa Scala, Ph.D.

Rosa Scala for “Muscle fatigue arising intrinsically from SUR2- but not Kir6.1-dependent gain-of-function in Cantu syndrome mice”

J Gen Physiol (2025) 157 (6): e202513781 doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202513781

Cantú syndrome (CS) is a rare disorder caused by gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the Kir6.1 or SUR2 subunits of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, and patients commonly experience muscle weakness and fatigue. However, the mechanism underlying skeletal muscle fatigue and the functional composition of sarcolemmal KATP channels were unclear. Using mouse models carrying SUR2- or Kir6.1–GOF mutations, Dr. Scala and colleagues showed that muscle fatigue results specifically from SUR2-dependent KATP overactivity, while Kir6.1 GOF has no comparable effect in skeletal muscle. Importantly, treatment with the FDA-approved KATP inhibitor glibenclamide restored normal muscle function, revealing a clear therapeutic opportunity and mutation-specific disease mechanism.

2026 Cranefield Student Awardee: Sho Horie

Sho Horie for “A mechanism for pathological oscillations in mouse retinal ganglion cells in a model of night blindness”

J Gen Physiol (2025) 157 (6): e202413749 doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202413749

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a degenerative disease leading to blindness with many PR patients suffering from "photopsias“- perceived flashes thought to be caused by pathological oscillations in retinal ganglion cells. Horie and colleagues uncovered the mechanistic origin of these pathological retinal oscillations. By combining electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, and computational modeling, they demonstrated that reduced ON bipolar cell output, specifically the loss of TRPM1 in bipolar cell dendritic tips, is the key trigger of oscillatory activity. By identifying a precise cellular and molecular cause of visual noise in degenerative disease, this study provides critical insight and a clear direction for therapeutic intervention.

(click here for past award winners)